Painting apparatus



July 1, 1941. R. s; THOMPSON I PAINTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l .un iv i /Em? INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY 5 July 1, 1941. R. s. THOMPSON 2.247.622

PAINT ING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

AT! URNEYI Patented July 1, 1941 as STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2,247,622 PAINTING APPARATUS Roy S. Thompson, Bay Village, Ohio Application September 11, 1939, Serial No. 294,355

9 Claims.

This invention relates to painting apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for applying paint to long substantially narrow strips of material such as the channels commonly used for supporting .glass in the construction of greenhouses.

In many cases where a wooden bar or strip is used as a supporting element for glass and is exposed to the elements, it is desirable that the bars be given a coat of paint periodically. Since the job of painting such supporting bars manually is diflicult and time-consuming, this invention deals with the provision of apparatus which can be used to apply paint to the bars in a quick and efficient manner. Apparatus of this character is illustrated and described in my prior Patents Nos.

1,579,578 and 1,645,976, respectively issued April 6, 1926, and October 18, 1927.

This invention contemplates the provision of a carriage or paint receptacle having paint applying brushes positioned therein, and an opening through which the brushes may extend for applying paint to the bars when the receptacle is moved over the bars. A reservoir for paint is secured tothe receptacle and is provided with valve means for controlling the rate of flow of the paint therefrom into the, receptacle. The manner in which the paint is applied by the brushes will be dependent upon the rate of flow of paint into the receptacle, the size and shape of the opening through which the brushes extend, and the manner in which the receptacle is guided during its movement over the bars or channels being painted.

Accordingly, one of the objects of this invention is to provide, in apparatus of the character referred to, a receptacle which will permit the alteration of the size of the opening therein through which the paint applying brushesextend in accordance with the size and shapeof the wood bar or strip to be painted.

A further object is to provide a novel form of support which will prevent tilting of the carriage with respect to the bar being painted when the carriage is located at points remote from the operator.

A further object is to provide a conduit for transferring paint from the reservoir to the receptacle which will permit adjustment of the delivery end thereof with respect to the paint applying brushes so as to deliver more or less paint to one side of the bar being painted.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent during the course of the following description. In the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. In said drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus illustrating the manner in which it is used for painting the glass supporting strips or'bars of a greenhouse.

2 of the receptacle I.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus.

Figure 5 is a rear end elevational view of the apparatus.

Figure 6 is a front end elevational view of the apparatus.

Figure 7 is an enlarged end elevational view of one of the guiding elements.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the paint brushes used in the apparatus.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I indicates as a whole a trough shaped carriage or painting receptacle having inclined side Walls 2 and substantially vertical end Walls 3 providing a space for the reception of paint. The angle of inclination of the side walls 2 is best illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, and it will be noted that the side walls 2 converge toward the bottom of the receptacle I. As best shown in Figure 4, the lower edges 4 of the side walls 2 and the lower edges 5 of the end walls 3 define a narrow rectangular opening 6 through which paint applying devices positioned in the receptacle I may contact the strip to be painted.

Paint brushes 7 having bristles Ia are positioned within the receptacle I and are provided with guide screws 8 projecting therefrom for engagement in guiding slots 9 formed in the sides The screws 8 operate to maintain the brushes I in engagement with the side walls 2, and, in cooperation with the slots 9, guide the movement of the brushes 1 with respect to the receptacle I. Downward movement of the bristles la with respect to the sides of the carriage I will be limited by engagement of the bristles Ia with the surface of the wood strip being painted.

A reservoir Ill is provided with a supporting standard I I which is secured to the rear end wall 3 by means of a fastening element I2. A suitable opening and closure member I3 is provided in the top of the reservoir In to permit the filling of the reservoir II] with paint when desired. The paint in the reservoir I9 is fed into the receptacle I through a feed pipe I4, adjustable valve means I5 being provided to control the rate of flow of paint into the receptacle I.

The width of the strip which the apparatus will be capable of painting will be dependent upon the width of the rectangular opening 6. As best shown in Figure 4, each of the side walls 2 is provided with slots I6 and I1 adjacent the end walls 2 to permit adjustment of the width of the rectangular opening 6. The slots I6 and I! permit path of movement.

the bending of the lower portions of the side walls 2 so as to cause movement of the edges 4 toward or away from each other to increase or decrease the width of the opening 6 as desired, to correspond with the width of the strip to be painted. Obviously, other means capable of permitting movement of the side walls 2 to adjustably position the edges 4 with respect to each other could be employed in place of the construction illustrated. By bending the lower edges 4 of the walls 2 inwardly, it will be apparent that the bristles Ia of each brush will be directed more sharply toward each other for the paintingof narrow strips. Obviously, to paint wider strips, it will be merely necessary to move the lower edges of the walls 2 outwardly to permit more of the bristles Ia to extend through the opening 6.

In order thatithe edges 4 of the rectangular opening 6 may be maintained in a position substantially in alignment with the edge of the strip of material being painted during movement of fthe receptacle I over the strip, guiding devices I8 are secured to each of the end walls 2 for engagement with the strip being painted. Each of the guiding members l8, as best shown in Figures '7 and 8, comprises a carrier portion I9 having openings 29 therein through which fastening elements may be passed for securing the members I8 to the end walls 2. A guiding elemient 2I is integrally secured to the carrier portion I9, which,

in its operative position, is adapted to straddle the strip to be painted. The guiding element 2I is provided with depending elements 22 on opposite edges thereof for engagement with opposite sides of a strip of material.

It will be noted that the portion of the element 2I between the depending portions 22 is formed to present oppositely diverging surfaces 23 in order that the depending portions 22 may effectively engage channels of various shapes and sizes. The dotted lines in Figure '7 diagrammatically illustrate a form of channel which may be painted bythe apparatus, and show the manner in which the depending members 22-will engage the channel being painted.

' As shown in Figure 8, the bottom surface of the guiding element 2I is rounded in a direction longitudinally thereof in order to permit the guiding me'mber to ride over obstacles encountered in its The rounded formation of the bottom of the guiding element 2I permits the guiding element to ride over obstructions on the surface of the wooden bar being painted.

-- Axle-members 24 having wheels 25 rotatably mountedthereon are secured to and extend out- 1 wardly from each. of the side walls 2 of the car- :riage I. A handle 26 is provided for moving the carriage I back and forth over the strip being painted and is secured to the carriage I by a bifurcated member 21 having the arms thereof pivotally connected to the axle members 24. A flexible cord or chain 28 is connected to the carriage I and handle 26 to prevent the carriage I fromswinging into an inverted position when it is lifted by the handle 26.

In painting a wooden strip, the guiding members I8 are placed in engagement with the strip and. the carriage I is moved back and forth over the strip by the operator standing in the gutter or at one edge of the greenhouse. When the carriage is moved to a position remote from the operator, there is a tendency for the carriage I to tilt with respect to the strip and much force must be exerted tolreep the carriage in an upright position. 'I'o: overcome this, the wheels 25 which normally occupy a position above the level of the guiding members I8, as best shown in Figure 3, have been provided. Upon tilting of the carriage I, one of the wheels 25 will contact the surface of the glass and prevent further tilting movement of the carriage I to an upset position or to a position with the guide members I8 out of engagement with the strip being painted. The wheels 25 thereby reduce the amount of care and effort which the operator must exert in painting the strip.

As best shown in Figure 4, the bristles Ia of each brush 1 in operative position provide an open space it between the brushes in order that paint from the reservoir I0 may be fed directly to the channel being painted by the delivery tube I4. It has been found desirable to feed the paint directly to the channel instead of to the bristles 7a since by such action, a pool of paint is collected on the channel in the open space 29 which is subsequently distributed over the surface of the channel by the bristles Ia. In this manner, the paint is more uniformly applied to the channel, and voids appearing on the surface thereof are readily filled in by the paint without the necessity of resorting to the use of putty.

The formation of the bristles Ia on the brushes "I is best illustrated in Figure 9, and each set of bristles Ia comprises a central body portion 30 extending from that side of the brush I which in operative position lies adjacent the wall 2 of the carriage i; The end portions of the bristles Ia are built up as at.3I to provide a greater thickness of bristles. In this manner, the bristles in the body portion 30 will be adapted to engage and distribute paint over the sides of the channel, whereas the built up end portions 3I will engage the top of the channel. The narrow body portion 3%) provides the central space 29 shown in Figure e, whereas the oppositely positioned built up portions 3i will engage centrally of the channel to form the end edges of the space 29. This conand the valve means I5 is adjusted to control the flow of paint to the carriage I for application to the strip by the brushes I. With the carriage l in position over the strip to be painted, a continuous movement in one direction or a. back and forth movement may be imparted to the carriage -I through the handle 26 for applying paint. The portions of the brushes 1 extending through the rectangular opening 6 will engagethe strip to be painted, and such engagement will be substantially uniform along the strip by reason of the guiding action of the elements 21 and the size of the rectangular opening 6. Accordingly, it will be apparent that the apparatus enables a substantially long narrow strip to be painted with a minimum of effort and time.

necessary to supply morepaint to one 'side of the channel than to the other in order that a uniform coating of paint may be applied to the entire surface area of the channel. To this end, the supply pipe I4 which delivers paint tothe channel being painted is provided with an offset portion l4. By turning or rotating the pipe 14 with respect to the receptacle l, the offset portion M will be moved so as to adjust the position of the delivery end thereof with respect to the brushes I. The adjustment may also be made by bending the pipe I 4 so as to move the delivery end thereof closer to one of the brushes 1. Accordingly, it will be apparent that the arrangement of the pipe l4 enables an adjustment to be made either to deliver more paint to one of the brushes 1 than to the other, or to deliver paint equally to both brushes, as desired, depending upon the contour of the surface area of the strip to be painted.

Having thus described my invention, whatv I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow bars, a, paint reservoir, and a receptacle carriage for receiving paint from said reservoir provided with side and end walls defining a narow rectangular opening through which paint applying devices may contact the bar being painted, paint applying devices for said receptacle, the said side walls being mounted for movement relative to each other and with respect to the end walls to permit movement of the lower edges thereof toward or away from each other for adjusting the width of said opening for use with bars of various Widths.

2. In apparatus for applying paint to long nar. row bars, a paint reservoir, and a receptacle carriage for receiving paint from said reservoir provided with side walls defining a narrow rectangular opening through which paint applying devices may contact the bar being painted, the longitudinal walls of said receptacle being provided with slots at points adjacent the ends of said opening to permit bending said walls to cause movement of the lower edges thereof toward or away from each other for adjusting the width of said opening for use with bars of various widths.

3. In apparatus for applying pain-t to long narrow bars, a carriage provided with side and end walls having lower edges defining a narrow rectangular opening, and a pair of converging brushes mounted on the carriage and having bristles extending through said opening in converging relationship for engagement with the bar to be painted, the said side walls being mount-ed for movement relative to each other and with respect to the end walls to permit movement of the lower edges thereof toward or away from each other for adjusting the width of said opening, the lower edges of said longitudinal walls being engageable with the bristles of said brush for adjustably controlling the area which said brushes will paint upon an adjusting movement being imparted to said longitudinal walls.

4. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow bars, a carriage provided with side Walls having lower edges defining a narrow rectangular opening, and a pair of converging brushes mounted on the carriage and having bristles extending through said opening in converging relationship for engagement with the bar to be painted, the bristles of each brush comprising a central body portion and end portions at each side of said body portions, the converging end portions of said brush being of sufficient thickness to cover the sides of said bar and of insufilcient thickness to cover the top of said bar, whereby a part of the bar is exposed substantially centrally of said brushes, and means for feeding paint to the exposed part of said bar for distribution over the surface thereof by said brushes on movement of said carriage along the bar, the cross sectional area of said bristles being substantially uniform throughout the length thereof whereby said brushes will be effective to provide said exposed part on the bar throughout the life of the brushes.

5. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow glass supporting bars, a carriage provided with paint applying devices for applying paint to the bars, guide means upon the carriage engageable with the bar to guide the carriage in its movement along the bar, and means preventing tilting movement of said carriage about said bars comprising supporting members extending from opposite sides of said carriage for engagement with the glass supported by said bars.

6. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow glass supporting bars, a carriage provided with paint applying devices for applying paint to the bars, guide means upon the carriage engageable with the bar to guide the carriage in its movement along the bar, and means cooperating with said guide means for supporting said carriage in a tilted position comprising supporting members extending from opposite sides of said carriage and engageable with the glass carried by said bars on movement of said carriage from a vertical to a tilted position, whereby said carriage will be supported by said guide means and one of said supporting members when in a tilted position.-

7. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow bars, a carriage having a narrow rectangular opening in the bottom thereof, a, plurality of paint applying devices mounted on said carriage and extending through said opening for contact with the bar to be painted, a paint reservoir, and means for feeding paint from said reservoir to said bar for distribution over the surface of the bar by said paint applying devices, comprising a delivery tube movable to different positions with respect to said bar for controlling the amount of paint being delivered to the respective sides of said bar.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said supporting members comprise axles having wheels rotatably mounted thereon, said wheels being adapted to occupy a position out of engagement with the glass when said carriage is in a substantially vertical position.

9. In apparatus for applying paint to long narrow bars, a carriage provided with an opening having side and end walls, paint applying devices at opposite sides of the opening for applying paint to the bars, said side walls engageable with said paint applying devices for controlling the width of the strip to which paint is to be applied, the said side walls being mounted for movement relative to each other and with respect to the end walls to adjustably control the width of the strip to be painted.

ROY-S. THOMPSON. 

